Draw-gear and buffing apparatus.



No. 672,II6. Patented Apr. I6, |90I. G. WESTINGHUUSE.

DRAW GEAR AND vBUFFIN APPARATUS.

(Application filed Aug. 18, 1900.) (No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheat I.

1H: Nonnls Farias co. Nona-Llrno.4 WASHINGTON. n. c

Patented Apr. 16, |90I. G. WESTINGHOUSE.

DRAW GEAR AND Bul-'FING APPARATUS.

(Application led Aug. 18. 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

WITNESSES:

T mams Pneus co.. Haro-uwe No. 672,l|6. Patented Apr. I6, 190|. G. WESTINGHOUSE.

DRAW GEAR AND BUFFING APPARATUS.

(Applicatiun med Aug. 18. 1900.

Atty.

Patented Apt-I6, 190|.

G. WESTI'NGHUUSE. DRAW GEAR AND BUFFING APPARATUS.

(Applcatiomled Aug. 1B, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

INVENTO WITNESSES:

TN: Nonms PETERS co.. mom-Umb.. wnmcun, o, c.

Erice.

ATENT GORGE WESTINGHOUSE, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAW-GEARAND BU FFI-NG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,116, dated April 16, 1901;

Application filed August 1S, 190i). Serial No. 27,282. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom it mwy'concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE,

of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and4 say, that in which the draw-bar is combined. with a preliminary or initial resistance element having a reactionary capacity, an independent secondary resistance element, the action of which is exerted independently of and supplementally to that of the initial resistance element, and connections throughl which the movement of the draw-bar in either direction under the application of strain imparts such strain, when sufficiently great, to

the secondary resistance element.

The object of myinvention is to simplify and economize the construction of draft and bufng appliances of the class above specifiedv by the provision of novel and improved means for the attachment and support thereof to andv upon a car and the effective exertion of a frictional secondary or nal resistance, the detailed members of which and their combined operative relation shall be such as to enable a substantial reduction inthe number of parts to be made and the expense and delay-of machine-work to be' avoided.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figurelis a Ver-tical longitudinal section through the central plane of a draft and buffing apparatus, illustrating an application of my invention; Fig. 2, a similar section taken in a plane adjoining one of the side flanges of the supporting-plate; Fig. 3, a plan or top View; Fig. 4, a transverse section at'the line a: ,of Fig. 3; Fig. 4, a similar section illustrating means for increasing thearea of frictional surface; Fig. 5, a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating an auxiliary spring applied for increasing frictional resistance; Fig. 6, a plan or top View of a structural modification of my invention; Fig. 7, a transverse section through the same at the line y y of Fig. 6; Fig. 8, a plan view showing the resistance members as abuttingr in vertical planes; Fig. 9, a side View showing the resistance members of Figs. 6 and 7 as disposed vertically instead of horizontally, and Fig. 10 a plan view showing the resistance members` of Figs. 6 and 7 as duplicated.

In the practice of my invention a draw-bar 1, provided with a suitable coupling-head la, is fitted to traverse longitudinally below or between the center sills 5 of the frame of a car or other railroad-vehicle, at each end thereof, or, if preferred, between draft timbers or draw-gear supports of any suitable and approved construction, the outer end of the draw-bar and the connected coupling-head projecting, as usual, beyond the end sill 6.

'lractive force and strains of draft and buiing applied to the draw-bar 1 are transmitted therefrom tothe car-frame through a resistance mechanism presently to be described, which is held in operative relation t o the draw-bar and the car-frame by asupportingplate 3, secured by bolts 4 to the center sills 5. A central longitudinal opening is formed in the supporting-plate 3 for the major portion of its length to admit of the traverse of a U-shaped draft-strap 19, which is secured to the inner end ofthe draw-bar, and an upwardly extending tiangc 3b, which abuts against the outside of the end sill 6, is formed on the adjacent end of the supporting-plate. Strains of draft are imparted to the supporting-plate and thence to the car-frame through front draw-bar stops 3f, which are located on opposite sides of the central opening of the supporting-plate and are preferably made integral with said plate, and bufling strains are taken by the car-frame through similar back draw-bar stops 3e, located at a proper distance froln the rearof the supporting-plate. Downwardlyprojecting strengthening flanges 3g are formed upon the side of the supportingplate, extending from one draw-bar stop to the other and in position to cover and protect the frictional members of the appliance from the access of dirt and grit. The outer endof the draw-bar is supported by a strap or carry iron 3C, bolted to the su pporting-plate 3 and'end sill 6.

Preliminary strains and those which are of comparatively minor force and extent are, asin my Letters Patent No. 649,187 aforesaid, opposed and counteracted, both in draft and IOO bnfng, bya preliminary resistance element, shown in the form of two helical springs 12, which are inclosed in and supported by a cylindrical open-ended carrier -housing 34, fitting freely within the draft-strap 19. The inner ends of the springs 12 abut against an inner annular flange on the carrier 311, and their outer ends bear on front and back followers 10 10-",which abut,respectively,against the inner end of the draw-bar 1 and the rear vertical portion of the draft-strap 19. All strains within the capacity of resistance of the springs l2 are transmitted to the front or the back draw-bar stops, as the case may be, through one or the other of the followers 10 10% Strains of draft and bnffing which are in excess of the capacity of the preliminary resistance-springs l2 are opposed and counteracted by a secondary frictional resistance element, which, as in Letters Patent No. 649,187 aforesaid, is inactive during the compression of the springs 12 and which acts subsequently and supplementally thereto. In the form of my invention which is herein illustrated the frictional resistance element comprises two friction-blocks 8, which are formed integral with or secured to the sides of the carrier 34, two friction-blocks 18, abutting against the friction-blocks 8, and springs l1, by which the friction-blocks 8 and 18 are held in contact with such force as will induce the proper and desired degree of frictional resistance to their relative movement. The abutting faces of the friction-blocks 8 and 18 are in the form of a plurality of inclines extending in alternately-reversed directions, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 8, so as to present an integral wedge-face substantially throughout the entire length of the carrier on each of its sides and enable the spring-resistance to be distributed and exerted at different points in the length of the friction-blocks and to render the friction-blocks operative in either direction of movement of the draw-bar and carrier. The friction-blocks 8, fixed to the carrier 34, are adapted to be moved longitudinally by and with the draw-bar between the front and the back draw-bar stops 3d 3e without contacting with said stops, the length of the blocks 8 being less than the distance between the inner faces of the stops, while the friction-blocks 18 abut at their ends against said stops, and consequently have the capacity of movement only at right angles to the traverse of the friction-blocks 8.

Instead of providing drawbar stops in pairs with one member located at and fitting against each end of the wedge-block 18, as above described, the function thereof could be similarly performed by a single draw-bar stop xed to the supporting-plateand intei-posed between the ends of the wedgeblock, as at or near its central portion, and having front and rear bearing-faces to abut against corresponding faces on the wedgeblock. This construction I therefore specify held, as by nuts 11, on the outer ends of spring-bolts 11. The bolts ll fit freely in the friction-blocks 18, so as to permit the latter to traverse in the direction of the axes of the bolts and pass through longitudinallyslotted openings in the friction-blocks 8, as indicated by dotted lilies in Figs. 2 and 3, in order to admit of the longitudinal traverse of the blocks 8 with the draw-bar. The heads of the bolts 11n bear on the top of the supporting-plate 3, and the bolts are held against rotation by stops 3fon said plate. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, sufficient clearance is left between the ends of the carrier 34 and the adjacent followers 10 10 to permit the d raw-bar to traverse in either direction sufficiently far to fully compress the preliminary springs l2 before inducing the exertion of frictional resistance. After the exertion of frictional resistance in either direction the interlocked friction-blocks 8 and 18 will be released and returned to normal position with promptness and certainty by the movement of the drawbar in the opposite direction.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the relative positions of the frictionblocks 8 and 18 may, if desired, be reversed without departure from the spirit or operative principle of my invention-that is to say, the inclined or wedge faces of the frictionblocks 8 of the carrier may be turned upwardly and the friction-blocks 18 and springs 11 be located above them. It will also be apparent that the friction-blocks may, as shown in Fig. 8, abut vertically instead of horizontally, if preferred, as the same structural and operative relation of' the several members would in such case be preserved, and the traverse of the friction-blocks 18 would be effected in a horizontal instead of in vertical planes. Again, if desired, the extent of surfaces in frictional contact may be further increased by forming inclined faces upony the upper sides of the friction-blocks 8 and corresponding faces on the abutting portions of the supporting-plate 3, as shown in'Fig. 4a: Similarly the area of the frictional contact.- surfaces of the friction-blocks 8 and 18 may be increased by forming interlocking inclines on their abutting faces, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. et and 5.

Fig. 5 illustrates means for increasing fric- -tional resistance by the application of auxiliary springs 110, which are coiled within the main springs 11 of the friction-blocks and are brought into action by the continued downward traverse of the friction-blocks 1S IOO after an initial compression of the main springs 11. The amount of frictional resistance can thus be made to meet all requirements bythe ap plicationof a su fticient springresistance.

Figs. 6 and 7 exemplify a structural modification in which movements of partial rotation instead of reciprocating movements are imparted by the draw-bar to a frictional resistance member. The preliminary resistance element is in this case a helical spring 12, bearing on followers 10 10a, which are located Within the draft-strap 19, similarly to the followers first described, and abut against suitable front and back draw-bar stops, (not shown,) which are secured to the center sills 5. A rearward extension 19t, having a longitudinal slot 19h near its rear end, is formed upon or secured to the draft-strap 19, and said extension is coupled by a pin or bolt 19e, passing through the slot 19h, to a radial arm 34h on a carrier plate or disk 34', which is pivoted by a spring-bolt 11a to a plate or disk 18h, secured to one of the center sills 5 and the adjacent intermediate sill 5a by bolts 18. A friction-block 8 in the form of a circular series of projections having oppositely-inclined or Wedging faces is formed on the carrier-plate 34a, and a similar friction-block 18a is formed on the adjacent face of the plate 18". The spring-bolt 11a passes freely through the carrier-plate 34a, and the friction-blocks 8 18a are maintained in contact by a spring 1l, which, as in the instancefirst described, induces the proper degree of frictional resistance to their relative movement. The slot 19b in the extension 19a of the draft-strap admits of the range of traverse of the drawbar to the limit of compression of the preliminary resistance element 12, the frictional members remaining inactive, subsequently to which compression movement of the drawbar in either direction is opposed by the resistance of the friction-blocks 8a 18a, preliminary and secondary resistance being thus independently and successively exerted, as in the instance first described. Asuiicient space is left in the jaw of the draft-strap extension 19a, as shown in Fig. 7, to adm-it of the downward movement of the carrier-plate 34a when turned upon its pivot without imparting any downward strain to the draft-strap or its connections.

Various modifications in structure and detail of the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may without variation of operative principle or essential elements be readily made by the skilled mechanic. Thus, for example, the plates 34 18b may be disposed vertically instead of horizontally, as shown in Fig. 9. Again, the frictional resistance mechanism may be duplicatedthat is to say, a fixed and a movable frictional resistance member may be located on each side of the draftstrap extension 19a, as shown in, Fig. lO-the two movablemembers being coupled thereto, as in the construction shown in Figs. l6 and 7.

While a preliminary resistance element is herein illustrated and is preferably employed in practice, the features of my invention which relate specifically to the secondary resistance element may be applied Without the preliminary spring-as, for example, in stationary buier-stops. It will be obvious that in such case it will be unnecessary to provide the central portion of the carrier with a tubular spring-receptacle or toinclose it in a draftstrap, as in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, as the carrier could then be connected directly to and form an inward extension of the draw-bar, having the longitudinally-moving friction-blocks formed upon or fixed to it, as in the instance shown.

My invention attains in practice the substantial advantage of enabling any desired degree of frictional resistance to be exerted in opposition to draw-bar strains under a construction Which is readily and conveniently applicable in connection with car-frames of any of the ordinary designs now in service which is simple, strong, and compact and in which a material economy is ,effected by a considerable reduction in the number of parts employed as compared with prior appliances and the avoidance of the necessity of machining the working parts.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a draw-gear or bufng apparatus, the combination of a draw-bar, a preliminary spring subject to compression by the movement thereof, a carrier coupled to the drawbar and movable by and in the direction of the traverse thereof subsequent to compression of the preliminary spring,a friction-block having an inclined or wedging face and fixed laterally to the carrier, a friction-block having a corresponding wedging face abutting against the wedging face of the carrier friction-block, means for permitting movement of one of said friction-blocks at right angles to the other, and means for maintaining said friction-blocks in contact to impart fric-tional resistance to the movement of the draw-bar and carrier.

2. In a draw-gear or buing apparatus, the combination of a draw-bar, a preliminary spring subject to compression by the movement thereof, a carrier coupled to the drawbar and movable by the traverse thereof subsequent to compression of the preliminary spring, a friction-block having an inclined or Wedging face and fixed to the carrier, a friction-block having a corresponding wedging face abutting against the wedging face of the carrier friction-block, a spring-bolt connecting said friction-blocks with the capacity of movement of one of them at right angles to the other, and a spring abutting against one of said friction-blocks and against a bearing on the spring-bolt.

3. In a draw-gearor buffing apparatus, the combination of a draw-bar, a carrier coupled thereto and movable by traverse thereof, a

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friction-block having a longitudinal integral wedging face formed of a plurality of alternately-reversedinclines and fixed laterally to the carrier, a second friction-block having a longitudinal wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of the carrier friction-block, and fitted to traverse at right angles thereto, a fixed stop or abutment constituting an end bearing for said second friction-block, and a spring for maintaining said friction-blocks in contact to impart frictional resistance to the movement of the draw-bar and carrier.

4. In a draw-gear or buffing apparatus, the combination of a draw-har and a carrier coupled to the innei` end of said draw-bar, and having, on each of its sides, an integral friction-blocl ,the working face of which is formed of a plurality of pairs of alternately-reversed inclines, and the opposite face of which is adapted to be subjected to the application of spring-resistance at two or more points in its length.

5. Inra draw-gear or bufiing apparatus, the combination of a draw-har, a carrier coupled thereto and movable by traverse thereof, friction blocks having longitudinal integral wedging faces formed of a plurality of alternately-reversed inclines and fixed to opposite sides of the carrier, pairs of stops fixed to the frame on which the draw-bar is supported, friction-blocks, each having a longitudinal wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of one of the carrier friction-blocks, and fitted to traverse between the members of a pair of frame-stops, at right angles to the traverse of the draw-bar and carrier, and a plurality of springs bearing on said last-stated friction-blocks at different points in their length and on fixed abutments.

6. In a draw-gear or buffing apparatus, the combination of a draw-bar, a draft-strap connected thereto, followers fitted in said draftstrap, atnbular carrier interposed between said followers, with the capacity of limited relative movement, a preliminary spring inclosed in the carrier and bearing against the followers, a friction-block having an inclined or wedging face and fixed to the carrier, fixed draw-bar stops forming abutments for the followers, a friction-block having a Wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of the carrier friction-block, and fitted to traverse at right angles thereto between the draw-bar stops as end abutments, and a spring which maintains the friction-blocks in contact to impart frictional resist-ance to the movements of the draw-bar and carrier.

7. In a draw-gear or buffing apparatus, the combination of a supporting-plate adapted to be connected to a car-frame and centrally recessed to admit a draw-bar and its connections, pairs of draw-bar stops fixed on said supporting-plate at opposite sides of its central recess, a draw -bar, a carrier coupled evale thereto and adapted to traverse longitudinally therewith in the recess of the supporting-plate, friction-blocks, fixed to opposite sides of the carrier, each having a plane face abutting against the supporting-plate and an opposite inclined or wedging face, frictionblocks, each fitting at its ends between the members of a pair of draw-bar stops, and having an inclined or wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of one of the carrier friction-blocks, and springs bearing on each pair of frictionblocks and on stops fixed to the supportingplate.

8. In a draw-gearor buflng apparatus, the combination of a supporting-plate adapted to be connected to a car-frame and centrally recessed to admit a draw-bar and its connections,pairs of draw-bar stops fixed on said supporting-plate at opposite sides of its central recess, a draw-bar, a carrier coupled thereto and adapted to traverse longitudinally therewith in the recess of the supporting-plate, friction-blocks, fixed to opposite sides of the carrier, each having a plane face abutting against the supporting-plate and an opposite inclined or wedging face, friction-blocks, each fitting at its ends between the members of a pair of draw-bar stops and having an inclined or wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of one of the carrier friction-blocks, springs bearing on each pair of friction-blocks and on stops xed to the supporting-plate, and strengthening side flanges on the supporting-plate which also cover and protect the outer faces of each pair of friction-blocks.

9. In a draw-gear orhuffing apparatus, the combination 0f a draw-bar, a draftstrap coupled thereto, a tubular carrier fitting in and movable by the draft-strap and adapted to receive a preliminary spring, and frictionblocks fixed to opposite sides of the carrier and provided with longitudinal inclined or wedging faces.

10. In a draw-gear or bnffing apparatus, the combination of a supporting-plate adapted to be connected to a car-frame and having a longitudinal central recess, a draw-bar, a carrier coupled thereto and movable thereby in the recess of the supporting-plate, frictionblocks fixed to opposite sides 0f the carrier and having inclined or wedging faces, friction-blocks, each having an inclined or wedging face corresponding with and abutting against the wedging face of one of the carrier friction-blocks, springs bearing on the fricfion blocks and maintaining them in contact one with the other, and with the adjacent faces of the supporting-plate, and a strap or carry-iron fixed to the supporting-plate and supporting the draw-bar adjacent to its outer end.

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE.

Witnesses:

W. D. UPTEGRAFF, J. SNOWDEN BELL.

loo' 

